Where did the phrase a hot potato come from?
Table of Contents
- 1 Where did the phrase a hot potato come from?
- 2 What does it mean to drop someone like a hot potato?
- 3 What figure of speech is hot potato?
- 4 What does it mean when someone calls you a sack of potatoes?
- 5 What is another word for hot topic?
- 6 What does the idiom a hot potato mean?
- 7 What are the uses of potato?
Where did the phrase a hot potato come from?
The term originated in the mid 1800s and is derived from the slightly older term “to drop like a hot potato”, meaning “to abandon something or someone quickly”. It alludes to the fact that cooked potatoes retain considerable heat because they contain a lot of water.
What does it mean to drop someone like a hot potato?
or drop something or someone like a hot brick. to get rid of something or someone as quickly as possible because they are difficult to deal with, or because you do not want them any more.
How do you use hot potato in a sentence?
It is a hot potato at the moment, and is causing a great deal of concern to many people. He seems to have landed himself with something of a hot potato today. We all know what a politically hot potato education is. The problem has come back again, and it is a kind of hot potato.
What’s another word for hot potato?
What is another word for hot potato?
| cause celebre | talk of the town |
|---|---|
| controversial case | controversial issue |
| controversy | debate |
| fuss | grist for the gossip mill |
| matter of the moment | moot point |
What figure of speech is hot potato?
A problem so controversial and sensitive that it is risky to deal with. For example, Gun control is a political hot potato. This term, dating from the mid-1800s, alludes to the only slightly older expression drop like a hot potato, meaning “to abandon something or someone quickly” (lest one be burned).
What does it mean when someone calls you a sack of potatoes?
phrase. informal. Used in comparisons to refer to the clumsiness, inertness, or unceremonious treatment of the person or thing in question. ‘he drags me in like a sack of potatoes’
What is the meaning of costed an arm and leg?
Definition of cost an arm and a leg informal. : to be too expensive I want a new car that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
What figure of speech is a hot potato?
COMMON If a subject or problem is a hot potato, it is very difficult to deal with, especially because it is something that people argue about a lot. When she is faced with a political hot potato such tightening the gun laws, she is not afraid to give her opinion. Pricing policy is another hot potato.
What is another word for hot topic?
What is another word for hot topic?
| talking point | point of discussion |
|---|---|
| topic of conversation | trending topic |
| big fuss | big issue |
| big question | controversial affair |
| debating point | heated debate |
What does the idiom a hot potato mean?
hot potato. A sensitive situation or controversial issue that is difficult to handle and thus gets passed from one person to the next (like a potato that is too hot to hold). The political candidate knew the issue was a hot potato, so he deferred to his chief of staff, who directed questions to the committee chairperson.
What is the phrase ‘hot potato”s origin?
Meaning
What is the meaning of a hot potato?
hot potato. noun. : a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it.
What are the uses of potato?
If you have burned then take small piece of potato and rub on that place. It prevent burning sensation.